


Friends Close, Enemies Closer

by Tristiahna



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, Gray Ghost, Mild Language, Revelation, vague references to underage drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5535527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tristiahna/pseuds/Tristiahna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing says keep your friends close and your enemies closer like a law-enforced truce, and both Danny and Valerie find that forgiveness suits them better. Gray Ghost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends Close, Enemies Closer

**Author's Note:**

> This was a nightmare to write and I ended up re-writing it 2 days before the deadline. It turned out a lot longer than I had anticipated, and it's not what I wanted, but hopefully it came out okay! 
> 
> Merry Christmas the-policeman!

“And here I thought there was no one present more out of place than me.” Valerie said while walking up behind Phantom, who jumped at the sudden presence of someone else.

She’d been a ghost hunter almost 4 years now, and her name had really gotten around. So much that she had been invited to the annual Christmas truce party. Originally, she was hesitant, not believing that an entire realm just willingly fell in to a truce for a short period of time. However, she had experienced it first-hand the previous year, even if she had not been at the party. Her curiosity this time around got the best of her and she gave in to the idea of attending. This year was Plasmius’s turn to host the party, which is probably why she was invited. Part of her wondered if the man knew that she was aware of his identity.

“Valerie…?” Phantom stared at her surprised.

“In the flesh. Literally. I’m the only one not dead here.” She joked.

Phantom actually had it in him to laugh. “Yeah, not going to lie, that’s pretty weird. What are you doing here?”

“I was invited, duh. Or is that too hard to believe?”

“I mean, no not really, but I can’t believe you would show up. Aren’t you nervous?” He asked.

“Aren’t you? I have already counted at least ten ghosts in the last sixty seconds that legitimately have tried to destroy you.” She said.

“Touché.” He responded with a shrug. “I mean, no one is necessarily unfriendly here, I just feel like I don’t belong. I mean, the ghost who hunts other ghosts… and not in a sporting way.”

“Yeah, I feel ya. But hey, we’re standing next to each other, so we don’t look like complete losers.”

“Honestly? I’m so used to it, that I sometimes forget that people wonder about you when you’re standing alone. Anyway, why didn’t you bring a plus one? I am sure you would have been allowed.”

Valerie frowned. “I mean, who would I bring? I don’t know any other ghost hunters.”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “Fenton.”

Valerie scoffed. “Are you kidding me? I’m pretty sure he’d have a heart attack at this sort of thing. Anyhow, I didn’t want anything bad happening… truce or not.”

“Fair enough.” Danny answered, though he would be lying if he said he wasn’t please that she had obviously thought about it. “Well, I guess it’s just me and you. Nothing says keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, than a law enforced truce!”

“True… but this doesn’t mean you’re off the hook, Phantom. Come New Year, your ass is mine.” She warned.

Danny put his hands up in mock surrender. “Gotcha. Though this is the second time someone has threatened to take pieces of my body tonight, so you’ll have to share.” He said while glancing over at Skulker.

Valerie laughed. Right, Skulker had a thing for Phantom’s _pelt_. “So, why are you here Phantom? If you’re so out of place?”

Danny looked around the room a moment, contemplating his answer. “I’m not the most pleasant of people around the holidays so I figured I should at least get out and spare my family for the evening; we don’t do anything until Christmas morning anyway.”

“Family? You have a family?” Valerie asked, honestly surprised. I mean, there was Danielle, but as far as she knew, she was the only one.

“Yeah, what do you know, I’m not alone.” He answered while giving her a slightly accusing look.

“Huh.” Valerie answered, feeling a little guilty.

Over the years, her need to seek revenge on Phantom had diminished. After discovering Plasmius and Masters were the same existence, her focus shifted. Not to mention, that little fact had made her question everything, including why she was given this equipment to hunt Phantom in the first place. She didn’t want to admit it, but there was a huge part of her that started to acknowledge that she was out of line. Not to mention, after helping Dani, it really struck her that they really are all just _kids_. Sure, she still found herself mad, but then again, she never actually heard Phantom’s side of the story. Most of her ‘hunting’ that dealt with Phantom at this point was stress relief, and never contained destructive intent. They went from enemies, to rivals, which definitely had different M.Os.

“Well, well, if I knew I was going to have such beautiful wallflowers, I wouldn’t have spent so much on decorations!” Vlad said, while approaching both Valerie and Danny. “You two just look overjoyed.” He stated sarcastically.

“Come on Plasmius, you know how I feel about this. I got chewed out last year for not attending when Skulker was the host and they called me Scrooge until mid-March. I really didn’t want a repeat of that.

“Ah, yes, I do remember that. We made fun of you the entire party; it was a good time.” Vlad said with a wry smile.

“Okay, _wow_.” Danny said bluntly. “You know what, I’m going to get something to drink.”

“Please, do, and be social about it Daniel – there are a lot of people here that are so glad to see you.” Vlad said with more cheer than what was necessary.

Danny rolled his eyes as he began walking away.

Valerie looked over at Vlad who was giving her a particular stare.

“Strange to see you two getting along, or are you really that uncomfortable here?” He asked, seriously.

Valerie pursed her lips. “We’re cool, for now. He really isn’t that bad I suppose; I’m not sure your huge ass problem with him.”

Vlad frowned. “Conflict of interest I suppose.” Conflict of interest, ha! That was an understatement. “I’m surprised you’d so readily forgive him.”

Valerie gave the man a playful smile. “Hey, what can I say, I’m single and he’s cute.”

Vlad raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Valerie nodded. “You know, I’m sort of thirsty too.” She stated, excusing herself from the conversation.

“Very well, please try and enjoy the rest of the evening.” Vlad encouraged before swiftly heading to greet some other guests.

Valerie came up behind Danny who seemed to be eyeing the punch. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s in it.” He admitted.

“Like, as far as ghost ingredients go?” She asked, honestly confused as to why he’d be so hesitant.

“No, like as in, alcohol.” He said with a laugh.

“Oh… _wait_. Ghosts can drink alcohol?” Valerie questioned, honestly really taken aback.

Danny nodded. “Well, certain ghosts. Most of the ghost types here can. It affects ghosts a little differently than humans, but in general, yes.” He answered while grabbing a cup and filling it. He brought it up to his face, and smelled it, before promptly pulling it away.

Valerie laughed. “I’m guessing that means it’s a mixed drink?”

“Ah, I don’ know, I was just taken aback by the fact that it smells incredibly sweet.” He said with a chuckle before bringing the cup to his lips. He hesitated a moment before quickly nodding his head. “Oh yeah, that’s a lot of vodka… and something else I don’t know, I’m underage.” He put the cup down on the table.

“You’re underage? Really? Are you really?” Valerie questioned accusingly.

“Yeah! I’m your age! Like, legitimately!” He defended. He sometimes forgot that people assumed he was just stuck at his death age, and that he had existed for a lot longer than what he really has.

Valerie shrugged while picking up his glass. “Whatever you say.” She said while taking a pretty large drink from it.

“Yo…” Danny gave her a scolding looking.

“Gin. The other thing is gin.” Valerie stated.

“Okay?” Danny said while trying to take the cup from her.

“No. I’m drinking it.” Valerie said while pulling away.

“You’re not legal.” Danny stated flatly.

“Oh my god, everyone here is dead, nothing matters.”

“It matters to me!”

“That’s why no one likes you!”

“Whoa! Rude!” Danny yelled overdramatically.

Valerie laughed before downing the drink. “Shit, that _was_ a lot of vodka, damn.”

They both stared at each other with challengingly stares before someone caught their attention.

“Well, well, look who it might be.” A voice said from Danny’s right.

Danny turned and was honestly really shocked to see who was in front of him. “Ghostwriter?”

“Look who finally got in to the Christmas spirit.”

“Ah, haha, yeah…” Danny rubbed the back of his head nervously. “I can’t believe you’re, uh, here.”

Ghostwriter raised an eyebrow. “Why? Oh, wait, because you put me in prison? Yeah, I guess that was an issue.” He said bitterly. “But I suppose it wasn’t completely in vain.”

Valerie looked between the two before glaring at Danny. “What did you do?”

“What did _I_ do? It was him.” Danny scoffed.

Ghostwriter shook his head. “He ruined my life’s work, miss, all because he was ungrateful and careless.”

“Wow, this seems to be a theme for you Phantom.” Valerie commented. Honestly, that was a little unsettling.

Danny scowled. “You know, there were other ways to handle the situation. To be honest, the only thing you really did was make me more bitter about Christmas; I just learned to keep quiet about it.”

Valerie sensed the tension and wasn’t sure of whether or not she should walk away.

Danny watched as Ghostwriter slowly turned to someone across the table, only to find they had an audience. Unfortunately, it was ghosts he knew. There stood the girls, Kitty, Spectra, and Ember, all looking highly amused.

“Where’s Walker? I think I’m going to break truce again.” Ghostwriter said blankly, drawing a giggle from all three of them.

“Oh come on!” Danny said, exasperated.

“I went to prison because of you!” Ghostwriter snapped. “At least you could have learned something from it!”

“Yeah, I learned, don’t break the truce.”

“If you beat him with that tiny Christmas tree, maybe you can say it was for the sake of Christmas spirit.” Ember commented while pointing to a small decorative Christmas tree at the end of the table.

Ghostwriters looked at the tree, back at Danny, and then back at the tree.

“Oh my god, _don’t_.” Danny said, seeing that he actually might do it.

Valerie, while amused, honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about the hostility between the two, and decided to step in. “Hey, he had to learn something right? I mean he’s here isn’t he? You have to have some sort of Christmas cheer to put yourself amongst your enemies.” She defended.

It was sort of uncomfortable how the focus of everyone immediately landed on her, but she decided to ignore it.

Ghostwriter looked at her before glaring at Danny and shaking his head. “One of these days, when it’s not the Christmas truce, I’ll get you back.” He threatened before quickly turning away.

It was silent for a moment, as they watched him walk away, before someone broke the tension.

“Well, well! Who’s this?” Kitty chirped. “Your girlfriend?”

“Huh? What? No!” Danny said, waving his hands dismissively.

“Aw man girly, he was so quick to deny that; I’d be offended if I were you.” Ember said with a laugh.

Valerie shrugged. “Well, we have a rough history.”

“Aren’t you the Red Huntress?” Spectra asked. She had heard about her through other ghosts, mostly Technus.

“I am.” Valerie answered then stared at her curiously. “Wait, aren’t you the guidance councilor from like freshman year?”

“Whoops.” Spectra said with an exaggerated frown. “Well, this is awkward.”

“Are you kidding me?” Valerie said flatly. Suddenly, the tone of spirit week that year made sense, seeing as the councilor was a _ghost_.

“Huh, if I didn’t know better I’d say you two were a thing.” Ember stated with a shrug. “But, I guess Phantom _is_ pretty unlikable.” She said while casting him a sly smile.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that…” Valerie mumbled.

“What? What was that? You said you like him?” Spectra teased.

Both Valerie and Danny blushed brightly.

“Well, if you aren’t interested, my boyfriend doesn’t dance and I would love a dance partner.” Ember said while walking around the table towards Danny.

“Uh…” Danny began, while looking around to make sure Skulker wasn’t watching them from a distance.

“I mean, we’re not a thing, so…” Valerie began hesitantly. To be honest, she was upset, and she honestly didn’t understand why.

Ember wrapped her arms around Danny, while attempting to pull him towards the dance floor.

Valerie scowled. “Ah, you know what! I really rather not be alone.” She announced while reaching to yank Danny back.

Ember stared, shocked, not expecting her to actually step in. Kitty and Spectra seemed equally surprised before Kitty erupted in to laughter.

“Well then! Stop looking pretty and dance!” Spectra said while shoving Valerie towards Danny.

“Yeah, and when you guys are done confessing your love, come join us; wallflowers are no fun.” Kitty added with a wink, before walking off towards Johnny.

“Yeah, and Skulker will be pissed if you don’t join us at least for a little bit, I mean, you didn’t show last year.” Ember added, with a jab towards Danny.

“Eh, fine, fine.” Danny said while trying to shoo her away.

“Come on Ember, _I’ll_ dance with you.” Spectra said while walking away with Ember who gave them both a playful wink before disappearing in to the crowd.

There was a moment of silence before Danny laughed nervously. “Well, _that_ was awkward. I’m sorry.” He apologized, feeling as if she was uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry about it, they’re just being girls.” Valerie said, honestly not all that effected by it. It was mild compared to what she witnessed with Paulina and Star.

“I suppose…” Danny began while looking off in to the crowd.

“Well…?” Valerie urged.

“Well, what?” He turned back to her, confused as to what was being asked of him.

“Are you going to ask me to dance?”

“Oh, you _actually_ wanted to?” He replied, honestly in disbelief.

“You don’t have much experience with girls, do you?” She asked playfully.

“I’m, uh, I mean sort of? I-” He began awkwardly.

Valerie rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, and led him towards the dance floor. They weaved between the crowd before they found a place out of the line of vision of casual bystanders. Valerie wrapped her arms around his neck, while he timidly wrapped his around her waist.

“Have you even danced before?” She questioned.

“Yeah? I mean, I don’t get to do it often, but I’m not unfamiliar I’m just…”

“Uncomfortable?” She finished his statement, noting his hesitance.

He frowned. “Maybe a little? I guess I’m just confused. I know we’ve been neutral recently, but this seems like a stretch.”

She sighed. “I mean I know I never gave you a chance to explain your side. I suppose recently I’ve just become increasingly aware of how flawed my reasoning might be. Things I’ve discovered along the way have just made me reconsider whom I trust and whom I don’t.” She explained as they began to sway.

“I can’t say that I’m not curious about what you’ve discovered.” Danny admitted. “By chance, does this have to do with Danielle?”

Valerie dropped her voice. “Yes and no. I mean, it partially had to do with her, but there’s more.”

Valerie twirled and Danny pulled her back in, this time wrapping his arms around her tighter and more confidently. One hand rested on her hip as he grabbed one of her hands with his.

“Well, do you want to talk about it? I’m not opposed to clearing anything up. I know you’re probably still mad though, thus why I’ve never attempted to bring it up before.”

She blushed at his sudden change in demeanor. “Oh, so you can dance.” She teased before growing serious. “I mean, I don’t know, maybe?”

“It doesn’t have to be now, I mean, just in general – when you’re not trying to kick my ass.” He said with a smirk.

“Well, actually, there was one thing I wanted to ask you about.” She paused a moment before dropping her voice to a whisper. “How much do you know about Plasmius?”

Danny didn’t answer initially, instead, continuing to dance as if he didn’t hear her. He spun her once more before pulling her towards him, her back up against his chest and arms wrapped around her stomach.

Valerie gasped as she felt herself pulled so closely, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Danny moved his mouth right to hear ear, sending chills down her spine with his, surprisingly cold, breath. “Let’s talk outside.”

Valerie nodded slowly, understanding that this was a bad place to have this sort of conversation.

In a wave of confidence he reached down and grabbed her hand. They both walked casually towards the other side of the room, where glass doors stood, leading out to a balcony. Danny glanced back just in time to catch Vlad watching them from a distance, Kitty at his side obviously saying something that seemed to have him intrigued and yet confused. Danny felt his heart speed up, event though he knew it was just paranoia; there’s no way he could have heard them talking.

They quietly slipped outside and leaned against the guardrail. There were a handful of other ghosts outside talking, but at least it was much quieter and a lot less crowded. Still, they would want to make sure they weren’t overheard.

“Just keep it down okay? A lot of people here have a loyalty to him, whether they’ll admit it or not.” Danny warned quietly.

She remained close, really close, their bodies almost touching, so that they could speak in hushed tones without being over heard. Quite frankly, no one would even suspect it, if anything it looked like they were hitting it off.

“To answer your question, I know quite a bit, more than you I would imagine.” Danny said.

“So, you know about his other identity?” Valerie asked.

Danny frowned deeply. “You know?”

“Yeah… I saw him transform back in to Masters.” She admitted.

Danny was honestly taken aback. That meant she was completely aware of the existence of half-ghosts. “Wait, how long ago?”

“Back with the whole incident with him trying to get rid of Danielle.” She confessed, feeling slightly guilty.

Danny pursed his lips. “I see, so that’s why you stopped working for him.”

“Yeah. I had all intent of hunting him too, but with him being Masters, well, that just made things really difficult. So, I backed out. Got nasty any time he’d talk to me, stopped answering calls, refused to do tasks. I think he passed it off as me being fickle and moody, since I did lay off after a while, not wanting to piss him off completely, but still.”

“Gotcha.” Danny said, a little nervous.

“How long has he been like that? Has he always been?” Valerie asked hesitantly.

“Since college. He uh… had an accident with a portal.” He hesitated a moment, contemplating how much he wanted to reveal. “He’s still the same existence though, Masters and Plasmius are one. I think Masters struggles with the ghost side, but essentially, they’re the same. He’s… trying though, to get better _. I think_.” Honestly, Vlad had made it a point to back off, and even apologized to Danny for his actions at some point. Within the past year they had actually been relatively neutral, with only a few disagreements, and none of which really lead to major fighting. However, Danny knew better than to assume the best when it came to Vlad, so he wasn’t willing to speak confidently about him and his intentions.

Valerie frowned. “I guess, but I don’t trust him. The only reason I came was because my curiosity got the best of me.” She admitted.

“That’s understandable. I mean I know you don’t care for ghosts, but it really is an interesting existence. There’s so much to see and learn.”

Valerie nodded. “I guess I just don’t understand how it’s possible? For him to be both human and ghost that is. I feel like it’s shape shifting, but that just doesn’t feel right. I know your…” she trailed off and gave him an awkward look. “Your cousin is the same.”

Danny’s eyes widened. “Y-you… saw Danielle change?”

“Yeah…” She breathed out. “I just don’t understand it.

There was a long pause as Danny contemplated how much he was willing to tell her.

“Halfas. We’re called Halfas. They’re hybrid ghosts that can transform between their physical form and their spectral form.” Danny explained briefly. He considered ignoring her, but that would probably cause more harm than good in the future.

Valerie remained quiet. _We_. He said _we_ , as in, including himself. She shouldn’t have been surprised, I mean his _cousin_ was one, but it still came as a shock. She then began wondering if he had even meant to say that. Judging by his demeanor, it seemed as if he didn’t realize what he had insinuated. If he was a halfa, suddenly things made a lot more sense. This boy, this _kid_ , probably walked amongst them when he wasn’t Phantom. That’s when something hit her, something he had said earlier. He had mentioned that he was underage, and that he was _her_ age. Danielle had been living on the streets when they had last crossed paths, so was he doing the same? He mentioned he had a family, so where are they? Did he have a home with them? Or were they all homeless? Was his entire family halfas or is it just him?

“Uh, Valerie? Are you okay?” Danny asked, seeing her fall in to deep thought. He started to worry that he had said too much. What if she caught on and put it together that he was Danny Fenton? How would she react?

“I’m sorry. I was just trying to process everything. So, a halfa is just a breed of ghost? But if so, how did Vlad end up one? Was it the portal accident?”

“Danny bit his lip, unsure of how much he should speak about Vlad. “Halfas are the product of science either accidental or intentional.” It was a vague answer.

“So, Danielle was made, right? That’s why Vlad wanted rid of her?”

Danny nodded his head slowly.

Valerie felt Phantom fidget nervously, and contemplated ending the conversation; she was probably starting to overstep her boundaries. It had only been recently that they’ve been truly neutral, and that’s all they were was neutral. They weren’t friends, despite what it seemed like tonight, and she really didn’t have a right to be asking him so much. God, she just had so many questions.

“Why do you do what you do?” Of all the questions she wanted to ask, she wasn’t sure why that one left her mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, protecting Amity Park from other ghosts.”

Danny laughed bitterly. “Do you think I’m protecting it? You’ve always seen me as a problem.”

Valerie frowned. “Like I said, things have changed.”

Danny considered it a moment before shrugging. “Same reason you do what you do; because it’s important to me. People are important to me, Amity Park is important to me. I’ve made a million and one mistakes, but I never had ill intent.

Valerie was hit with a sudden wave of guilt. “Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. Actually, now that I have the opportunity I wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened with, well, you know. It was an accident, I swear to you, but at the same time I was really insensitive towards you and your situation.”

She was very quiet for a moment before she cast him a smile. “Apology accepted.”

Danny smiled back. “Really? Honestly, that’s the best thing I’ve heard all Christmas season.”

“So does this make us allies now?”

“Only if you want to be.” He really didn’t expect her to just accept him. Forgiveness was one thing, being allies or friends was another. “Though, I have to admit, we’d be a pretty awesome ghost hunting duo.”

“Yeah, I really can’t deny that one.” She said while shifting nervously. She suddenly became quiet aware of how close they were still standing, despite having dropped the hushed tones a while ago.

Danny also noticed, and felt a blush rise to his cheeks.

“Uh, we should probably head back inside before people start assuming things.” Danny said with an awkward laugh.

Valerie nodded and gave a playful smile. “Hey, they can assume whatever they want.”

They both turned and began to make their way back in. They made it to the doorway, leading back in to the ballroom, but didn’t get a chance to make it through the door before a figure swiftly approached them.

“Ah! Daniel! Valerie! I was wondering where you went. I was starting to think that you had left.” Vlad said cheerfully.

“We just needed to get some air.” Danny answered casually, hoping this didn’t mean he had overheard anything.

Some other ghosts wandered up alongside them too, one of them being Kitty, who stared at them excitedly. “Man, you guys were gone a while, what were you doing?” She said with a teasing tone while looking at Valerie.

Valerie stared at her curiously, and shrugged. “Nothing really, just enjoying the fresh air.”

“It’s freezing out; you’re human.” Kitty pointed out.

“Aw Hell, why didn’t you say something!” Danny turned to her abruptly. He honestly sometimes forgot that normal people got cold. His core made it so he was pretty resistant to low temperatures, and often times could not acknowledge how cold it actually was to humans.

“It wasn’t that bad, I mean it’s been a pretty warm holiday season.” Valerie rubbed the back of her neck nervously while glancing upward and then quickly looking back at Kitty who was giving her a knowing smile.

“Don’t mind the cold, huh?” Kitty continued.

“No, I can’t say that I do.” Valerie answered with a playful scowl while lightly shaking her head, ‘no’ in regards to what she had just become aware of.

Danny watched as the two girls talked awkwardly, unsure as to what they were getting at, and it was obvious they were getting at _something_. He looked back over at Vlad who was giving him a mischievous smile, making Danny uncomfortable. What the heck were they planning? Danny mouthed, ‘what?’ before Vlad subtly gestured upward.

Danny slowly allowed his gaze to travel up and couldn’t believe what he saw. _Mistletoe_. That’s what they were getting at! He glanced a little ways behind Vlad and Kitty, some of the others eyeing them, waiting, to see what they would do. Great, they were _all_ in on it. There was no way that was there when they walked out; they totally set that up. Danny sighed and turned to Valerie.

“Hey, Valerie?” He began, pulling her attention away from Kitty.

She turned to him slowly, her expression unreadable. Had she noticed it or not? He didn’t think so.

“Don’t kill me, okay?” He stated before leaning in with all intention of kissing her cheek. It would at least be enough to humor them, right?

However, before he could make his move, she shifted her position, landing her lips directly on his. At first he thought it was an accident, poor timing, but her enthusiasm proved otherwise. Oh yeah, she had seen it, which must have been what her and Kitty seemed to be indirectly referencing in their conversation.

They lingered there a moment before pulling away, both of them blushing brightly.

“I can’t believe you were going to pansy out and kiss my cheek Phantom. Like, damn.” Valerie mocked, even though her embarrassment betrayed her own confidence.

Danny just stared wide-eyed, completely taken aback.

Laughter broke out amongst the nearby ghosts, and Vlad walked over and threw his arms around both of them. “Well, now that you two have kissed and made up, why don’t you join us, hm?”

“Uh, yeah sure.” Danny responded quietly.

They all walked over to wear they had been mingling and Danny looked at Valerie and smiled, letting her know it was okay. There was something about his smile that was so familiar. Everything about him was familiar, but in a way that was not Phantom so to speak. Valerie smiled back as they sat down together, and joined in the conversation.

 

The night flew by. Valerie was able to learn a lot about ghost traditions and even seemed to click well with some of the other ghosts. They teased Phantom about his antics and past battles, talked about their lives in the ghost zone, gossiped about others, and told stories and jokes. It was so surreal that this whole world, from a different dimension, existed much like theirs. And it was more fascinating that she was able to be a part of it. Through out the night, as they talked, she picked up on the fact that information, bits and pieces of stories, seemed to lack details. Sometimes people almost slipped up, which seemed odd. It was if they were trying to hide certain things, certain things that dealt with Phantom specifically. Finally, they all began to wind down, and the evening started to come to a close.

 

“Hey Val, you ready to go?” Danny asked while standing up. “I know we didn’t come together, but I can take you home.”

Valerie stood up as well and nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

Some of the ghosts exchanged glances, and some could be heard snickering.

They said their goodbyes and thanks Vlad for inviting them. They began to walk away from the group when Danny pulled Valerie away from her desired path.

“What? Where are we going?” She questioned. She had originally come using both of Vlad’s portals. Plasmius had said that, ‘Master’s was out for the holidays’, and he had left them unlocked. What far fetched lie.

“I have an easier way to get home.” He said, while approaching one of his allies.

“Hej Wulf! Ĉu vi kredas ke vi povus fari al mi komplezon?

“Certe. Kion vi bezonas?” The ghost responded.

Valerie was shocked by the use of a different language.

“Ĉu vi povas krei portalon al mia hejmo?” Danny asked with a smile.

Wulf nodded his head and smiled back at them.

“Dankon. Feliĉan Kristnaskon, Wulf!”

“Feliĉan Kristnaskon, Danny Phantom.” Wulf said, before swinging his paw through the air, tearing open a portal.

Valerie gasped, unsure of what had happened. She didn’t have time to even ask before Danny grabbed her hand and pulled her through.

In an instant they stepped out and the portal closed, leaving them in a dark room.

“What the heck, Phantom? What was that?” Valerie scolded.

“A portal. We’re back in Amity Park.” He stated.

“Wait, what? Already? How?” She questioned, eyes wide.

Danny shrugged. “It’s one of his neat abilities. Wulf is cool.”

“Where did he land us?” She questioned, having trouble seeing.

Danny smirked while walking over to the edge of the room and flipping on the switch.

The lights came on, illuminating the large space, revealing the Fenton lab.

“The… Fentons?” Valerie breathed out. “We need to get out of here.” She said, suddenly nervous that they’d get caught.

“Don’t worry, we’re fine.” He said with a shrug, gesturing her to follow him upstairs.

“Phantom! Seriously! We’re trespassing!” She scolded in a hushed tone.

“No we’re not.” He said blankly while taking her hover board from her and putting it aside. “I’m serious, go upstairs.”

She hesitated, not sure if she should listen to him. She didn’t really have a choice though, considering it was how she’d be getting out.

She made her way over to the stairs and began to ascend carefully, attempting not to make any sound.

Danny smiled behind her waiting for her to get to the top. He watched as she slowly opened the door, to see if anyone was up. The house was dark; the only light was the Christmas tree, which had been left on. She entered the living room and admired the tree before turning around to see if Phantom had followed her. When she didn’t see him, she instantly got angry.

“That bastard.” She mumbled as she went to see if he was still there. Before she was able to, a presence began coming up the stairs. She sighed, feeling relieved he hadn’t just left her.

“Seriously Phantom let’s get out of here.” She said while gesturing him to follow her out. However, when she reached out to him, she did not find Danny Phantom, but instead, there stood Danny Fenton.

It took her a moment to process it. Had he hear them? She never saw him come downstairs! But, she was also pretty sure he had come from downstairs so how-

“I told you we weren’t trespassing.” He said calmly.

Valerie’s eyes went wide, realization suddenly setting in. “D-Danny?”

“I’m sorry, I… didn’t tell you sooner.” He whispered.

“I…” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. It made sense! So, Phantom _was_ a halfa! And to be completely honest, it suddenly made sense for him to be Danny Fenton. Honestly, she was actually kicking herself for not putting it together.

“Are you mad?” Danny questioned hesitantly.

She stood there, unsure of what to say, before she decided there was nothing she really could say. She shook her head before moving in and wrapping her arms around him, pulling him in to a hug.

Danny gasped, surprised by the sudden affection. He had not expected her to react that way. He wrapped his arms around her, not knowing what else to do or say.

“We need to talk. Not now, it’s Christmas, but later.” She whispered in a very serious tone.

He nodded gravely as they pulled away.

“I can take you home.” He offered, not wanting to make her fly alone.

She shook her head. “It’s okay, it won’t take me long.” She said while taking her hover board from him. “There’s a stop I have to make anyway.” She said.

“Okay.” He said while walking her to the door.

“Danny?” She said, drawing his attention.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

There was a moment of silence before he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “I love you too.”

She smiled while activating her board. “Merry Christmas, _Phantom_! You’re mine.”

“Merry Christmas, Huntress, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He gave her a playful wink as she took to the sky.


End file.
